Derek Webb once heard a story about legendary musician Keith Green that stated Green gave his music away for free because he cared so much about allowing people to hear and engage with it.

Green died in a plane crash in 1982, long before the days of free MP3s and the proliferation of the Internet. To simply give music away was, as Webb puts it, "a very difficult and expensive thing to do at that time."

With the financial burden somewhat lessened in this new century, Webb realizes it has "never been as simple as it is today to connect music with music fans." So he, with motives similar to Green's, has done just that.

"I love music," Webb says via freederekwebb.com, the site that has offered his album Mockingbird in MP3 form via free downloads since September 1. "I have grown up with music as a close confidant. And I believe in the power of music to move people. There's something remarkable about the way a melody can soften someone to a new idea."

Mockingbird deals with issues that include (in Webb's words) "poverty, war, and the basic ethics by which we live and deal with others.

"I found that music has been an exceptional means by which to get this potentially difficult conversation going," he states via the website. "And this is certainly an important moment for dialogue amongst people who disagree about how to best love and take care of people, to get into the nuances of the issues."

Webb's e-mail newsletter reports that over 65,000 free copies of the album have been downloaded since the site's launch date, with the campaign still only at its halfway point. Hoping to increase that number in the second half the website now includes a "Just Invite Friends" button at the bottom of its main page, allowing anyone to notify others about the album via e-mail.

There are some who say their music is ministry but still charge you 15 bucks for the privilege of being ministered to. Webb is (in this venture, at least) a different animal. No doubt Mr. Green would have been proud.

(Oh…and if you haven't done so already, visit the website NOW.)

* The quotations in this story are taken from a statement posted on freederekwebb.com